Brandon Marshall’s is a story of redemption. Marshall is one of the most elite wide receivers in football, and he’s on track to be one of the Bears’ all-time greats, but there was a time in his career where he looked like the newest addition to the long list of troubled players.
Marshall was drafted in the fourth round of the 2006 draft by the Denver Broncos the same year that Jay Cutler was drafted by the Broncos in the first. Marshall’s rookie season with the Broncos was nothing to write home about, but the bromance between Marshall and Cutler began in their second season when Marshall caught 102 passes and scampered for 1,325 receiving yards. Between 2008 and 2011 Marshall was involved in a slew of legal troubles, the most disconcerting of which being Marshall getting charged for domestic violence. It began to look like Marshal could be newest addition to the long list of talented players who threw their careers away. Players who have a habit of finding trouble can also have trouble securing contracts. No one wants to pay top dollar for a player if they’re going to be out for the season due to off the field issues (see Josh Gordon).
In Miami, Marshall still performed like a Pro Bowler, but not so much like a Hall of Famer. He didn’t take Miami to the playoffs, so they traded Marshall to the Bears for two third round draft picks.
The direction of Marshall’s life dramatically changed shortly before he started training with the Bears. He was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder in 2011. Since then, Marshall has gone on record that football is his medium, not his message. He has been using the NFL as a venue to spread awareness about mental illness.
In October of last season, Marshall wore green cleats in violation of the NFL’s uniform policy. His intention was to spread awareness for mental health week. He knew he was going to be fined, but rather than appeal, he matched it and donated the money towards mental health awareness. His quest continued this week when he publically signed his contract extension worth $30 million on ABC’s The View. Marshall took the opportunity to candidly talk about his disorder and how it’s affected his life. He then went on to donate $1 million towards charity.
There are many stories of players making comebacks after committing tragic mistakes in their careers. Michael Vick comes to mind. But unlike Vick, Marshall has chosen to stand up and publicly confront his errors and strive to make a difference. He’s using his medium to redeem himself with his very important message. I can’t help but wonder how many other troubled players in the NFL could benefit from help. How many of these athletes turned criminals are suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder or something else?
And if we are willing to examine the NFL as a microcosm of civilization, how many troubled souls in prison could be saved if they were just willing to ask for help? Maybe with time and more people like Brandon Marshall, someday, we’ll find out.
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